Display omitted •A comprehensive timeline of the transition metal-catalyzed ring-opening of four-membered silacycles is presented.•A comprehensive timeline of the transition metal-catalyzed ring-expansion reactions of four-membered silacycles is presented.•The synthesis of different types of silacyclobutane and its analogues under various reaction conditions is discussed.•The synthetic application of silacyclobutane and its analogues as organosilicon reagent in transition-metal catalysis is highlighted.•The mechanistic rationale of silicon-carbon bond cleavage and activations by transition-metal-based catalysts is outlined. Silacyclobutanes (SCB), a family of useful organosilicon compounds, have attracted much attention because the highly strained silicon-carbon bond can be activated, as evidenced by transition-metal catalyzed ring-opening and ring expansion reactions. Efforts of extending silicon-carbon bond activation will definitely trigger powerful and privileged catalyst systems capable of unveiling opportunities for highly efficient and valuable transformations of SCB. This review summarized and highlighted representative and important advances for the synthesis of silacyclobutanes and its analogues as well as their catalytic transformations enabled by various transition-metal complexes whose versatility will be demonstrated widely in organosilicon chemistry and transition-metal catalysis. The different contributions in this growing research area summarized in this review could provide inspiration and incentive to make SCB as a precious source of organosilicon compounds.